£s£coyr>  AMESicAif  JSD/J'/ojr.J 


A SERMON 


PREACHED  AT  THE  PARISH  CHURCH  OF 


St.  anorcfa  6?  t^e  CDXarSrobe  ann  St.  annc,  'Blacifttaw, 


ON  TUESDAY  IN  WHITSUN  WEEK,  JUNE  4, 1811, 


BEFORE 

THE  SOCIETY 


FOR 

MIS&IONS  TO  AFRICA  AND  THE  EAST, 

INSTITUTED  BY 


t 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  ESTABLISHED  CHURCH, 

BEING  THEIR 

ELEVENTH  ANNIVERSARY. 


/ 

BY  THE  REV.  MELVILLE  HORNE, 

Late  Chaplain  to  the  Colony  of  Sierra  Leone. 


LONDON  PRINTED: 

BOSTON; 

REPRINTED  AND  SOLD  BY  SAMUEL  T.  ARMSTRONG, 

JVo.  50,  CORJvHlLL. 

Sold  also  by  A.  Lyman  h Co.  Portland;  Thomas  & Whipple,  Newburyport; 
H.  ^Vhipple,  Salem;  S.  Butler,  Northampton;  and  many  others. 

Prific  20  Cents. 

1811. 


A SERMON 


PHIL. iv.  13. 

I can  do  all  things,  through  Christ  •which  strengtheneth  me. 

On  such  an  occasion,  and  before  such  an  auditory,  it  would 
ill  become  me  to  appear,  without  solicitude  and  godly  fear.  The 
comments  which  may  be  passed  on  the  preacher  are,  indeed,  of 
no  moment,  but  the  impression  made  by  his  sermon  on  the 
cause  of  Missions,  is  a consideration,  which  merits  the  most  se- 
rious thought.  He  feels  his  need  of  a becoming  confidence,  no 
less  than  of  a becoming  modesty;  and  that  confidence,  which  it  is 
impossible  he  should  find  in  himself,  he  derives  from  the  dig- 
nity of  his  subject,  from  the  character  of  this  congregation,  and 
from  the  promised  aid  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  the  Lord  of 
all  power  and  might! 

! The  SUBJECT  inspires  confidence.  I plead  for  millions,  ra- 
tional, immortal  as  yourselves;  the  meanest  of  whose  souls  is 
more  prized  by  their  Redeemer,  than  the  fabric  of  this  material 
system.  By  me  they  sue;  not  to  be  instructed  in  our  European 
Arts,  not  to  be  freed  from  the  iron  bondage  of  the  worldly  op- 
pressor, nor  to  be  admitted  to  the  participation  of  the  civil  rights 
and  liberties  of  Britons:  no,  my  brethren,  they  sue  for  nobler 
things.  By  the  tender  mercies  of  Christ,  by  the  blood  of  his 
cross,  by  the  promises  of  truth,  by  the  hope  of  the  Gospel,  they 
sue  to  be  received  into  the  peaceful  Church  of  Jesus,  to  be  as- 
sociated in  the  privileges  and  honors  of  the  Christian  name; 
and  in  that  inheritance  in  the  heavens,  incorruptible,  undefiled, 
and  that  ladeth  not  away,  which  is  the  Christian’s  lot.  This  they 
s olicit,  they  demand,  in  the  name  of  their  Lord  and  ours;  who 


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hath  asked  and  received  the  heathen  for  his  inheritance')  and  the 
uttermost  parts  oj  the  earth  for  his  possession. 

The  CHARACTER  OF  THIS  CONGREGATION  inspires  confidence. 
I see  before  me  wealth,  and  learning,  and  talents;  but  I see,  or 
think  I see,  their  possessors,  indilferent  to  these  envied  distinc- 
tions, anxious  only  to  know  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  crucified; 
and  to  spread  the  blessings  of  his  kingdom,  from  shore  to  shorej 
from  the  rising  to  the  setting  sun.  Their  hearts  and  prayers  are 
with  the  cause  1 plead;  and  they  will  receive  with  pleasure,  as 
well  as  hear  with  attention,  every  thing  which  may  be  suggested 
to  excite  the  spirit  of  missions,  or  which  is  calculated  to  direct 
their  conduct. 

And,  if  the  subject  and  the  auditory  inspire  confidence, 
how  much  more  the  promised  aid  of  him,  whose  I am,  and 
whom  I serve!  I stand  not  here  the  servant  of  a man,  however 
highly  exalted:  neither  is  it  in  the  name  of  some  unknown,  su- 
perangelic  creature,  that  we  display  the  missionary  banner;  but 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob,  the 
living  strength-of  Israel.  Jesus,  the  Word  made  flesh)  Immanuel) 
God  with  US)  the  brip^htness  of  the  Father's  glory ) and  the  ex- 
press image  of  his  person:  he,  of  whom  it  is  written.  Let  all  the 
angels  of  God  worship  him;  and.  Let  every  man  honor  the  Sony 
even  as  he  honoreth  the  Father;  the  hope,  the  life,  and  the  sal- 
vation of  the  ends  of  the  earth:  in  his  name,  who  commands  and 
inspires  our  labors,  who  crowns  them  with  success  and  rewards 
them  with  immortality,  we  are  bold  to  plead  the  Missionary 
Cause,  and  to  anticipate  the  glory  of  the  latter  day.  We  can, 
and  I trust  we  shall,  do  all  things  through  Christ  which  strength- 
eneth  us. 

On  this  subject.  Brethren,  we  need  not  to  be  taught,  but  ex- 
horted; not  to  be  convinced,  but  persuaded.  For  I assume  that 
we  all  know  our  duty,  and  have  only  to  be  prevailed  upon  to  do 
it.  We  know  that  he,  who  dwelt  among  us  in  the  form  of  a ser- 
vant, was  born  a king;  and  that,  in  contemplation  of  his  suffer- 
ings, he  solaced  his  sorrows  with  this  consideration.  When  I am 
lifted  up)  I will  draw  all  men  to  me.  In  death,  calm  and  unaltered, 
his  closing  eye  was  lighted  up  with  the  prospect  of  universal 


dominion:  liis  expiring  breath — It  is  Jinishedl  was  the  signal  of 
victory  over  the  god  of  this  world,  and  of  all  its  kingdom.  Of 
his  government^  and  of  the  increase  of  his  kingdom,  there  shall 
be  no  end;  for  he  mzist  reign,  until  all  enemies  be  put  tinder  his 
feet. 

The  prophets  predicted  the  glory  that  should  follow  his  suf- 
ferings, and  the  apostles  were  the  honored  instruments  of  ful- 
filling their  predictions.  To  both,  it  was  given  to  see  the  visions 
of  the  Almighty,  and  to  read  the  prophetic  page,  to  the  last  syl- 
lable of  recorded  time.  To  us  they  have  delineated  all  the  fluc- 
tuations of  his  empire;  and  marked  the  period  of  the  partial 
eclipses  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  and  when  they  shall  shine 
forth  again  in  unclouded  splendor. 

As  laid  down  in  their  Chart  of  Prophecy,  we  have  seen  the 
false  Prophet  rising  from  the  Cave  of  Hira,  and  wasting  the 
Eastern  Churches  with  the  Koran  and  the  Sword.  We  have 
beheld  the  Euphratean  Horsemen,  goiiig  forth  conquering  and 
to  conquer,  until rthe  Turkish  Crescent  waved  over  the  city  of 
Constantine.  In  the  West,  the  desolations  of  the  Church  ad- 
vanced with  equal  steps,  though  in  a form  more  concealed  and 
questionable.  In  the  very  Temple  of  God,  did  the  Man  of  Sin 
arise;  and  a Christian  Bishop  presumed  to  convert  Christ’s  spi- 
ritual empire  into  a kingdom  of  this  world,  and  to  usurp  domi- 
nation over  its  proudest  potentates.  But,  in  the  darkest  night  of 
the  Church,  when  error  was  made  orthodox  and  sin  sanctified 
as  Christianity,  a ray  of  light  shone  forth  from  the  sanctuary, 
and  partially  dispelled  the  darkness.  An  obscure  German  Monk 
dared  to  be  a Man,  a Christian,  and  a Minister.  With  the  in- 
vincible spirit  of  an  Apostle,  Martin  Luther  confronted  a Synod 
of  Princes;  and  braved  both  the  authority  of  the  imperial  de- 
crees, and  the  thunders  of  the  Vatican.  A large  part  of  Europe 
heard  his  voice;  and,  in  obedience  to  the  Divine  command,  came 
out  of  Babylon,  that  Mother  of  Abominations.  With  our  own 
eyes  we  have  seen  a man  arise,  who,  having  encircled  his  brows 
with  the  iron  crown  of  Charlemagne,  has  torn  the  tiara  from 
the  head  of  the  pretended  Vicar  of  Christ,  and  has  resum- 
ed the  dominions  bestowed  upon  him,  by  the  ill-judged  liber- 
alitv  of  his  great  predecessor.  While  these  wonderful  transac- 


6 


tions  have  passed  in  Europe,  the  Crescent,  long;  declining;  from 
its  splendor,  visibly  begins  to  wane;  and  the  Temple  of  Mecca 
and  the  tutelary  Demon  of  Mahomet  shrink  beneath  the  sv'ord 
of  the  Wechebites.  While  Rome  boweth  down,  Mecca  stoop- 
eth! 

From  these  signs  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  in  the  state  and  in 
the  Church,  it  is  visible  to  those  who  read  them  with  a Chris- 
tian eye,  that  some  grand  and  universal  change  is  taking  place 
in  religion  and  morals,  worthy  of  the  splendid  and  tremendous 
machinery,  with  which  it  is  introduced  Of  the  nature  of  that 
change  we  are  informed  by  the  sure  word  of  prophecy.  It  is 
confessedly  difficult,  perhaps  impossible,  to  ascertain  with  pre- 
cision, the  commencement  and  termination  of  the  grand  pro- 
phetic period  of  1260  years,  determined  for  the  desolation  of 
the  sanctuary;  but  it  is  obvious,  that  that  period  has  now  nearly 
elapsed,  and  that  the  redemption  of  the  Church  draweth  nigh. 
Faith  and  Hope  already  behold  her  coming  up  out  of  the  wil- 
derness, leaning  on  the  bosom  of  her  beloved,  and  glorious  as 
an  army  with  banners.  They  see  the  dispersed  of  Israel  and 
Judah  restored  to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  and  converted  to  the 
faith  of  that  Messiah  whom  they  so  long  rejected.  They  see 
the  fulness  of  the  Gentiles  flowing  to  her,  and  the  kingdoms  of 
this  world  becoming  the  kingdoms  of  our  God,  and  of  his  Christ, 
until  righteousness  cover  the  earth,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
great  deep. 

These  happy  presages,  these  lively  expectations,  seem  to  have 
obtained  a general  prevalence;  and  no  where  more,  than  in  this 
favored  country.  Our  Bible  Societies,  our  Missionary  Asso- 
ciations, and  the  various  Versions  of  the  Scripture  now  making 
into  the  most  prevalent  languages  of  the  East,are  precious  drops, 
large  and  frequent,  which  precede  plenteous  rain,  when  the  sea- 
sons of  refreshing  come  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  The 
Angel,  who  is  to  preach  the  Everlasting  Gospel  to  every  tribe 
of  man,  is  even  now  on  the  wing.  The  precursors  of  the  evan- 
gelic army  are  already  landed  on  the  African  and  Asian  shores, 
and  call  on  us  to  follow,  and  to  support  the  sacred  banner  of  the 
Cross.  Inquiry  and  expectation  are  excited  among  the  Eastern 
People;  and  we  are  assembled,  this  day,  on  the  banks  .of  the 


7 


Thames,  to  animate  each  other  to  these  peaceful  wars,  and  te 
consider  how  we  may  best  fulfil  the  hopes  which  we  have  ex- 
cited. 

How  Missions  shall  be  conducted  with  most  effect,  may  well 
admit  diversity  of  opinion;  but,  of  the  duty  of  engaging  in  them, 
among  Christians,  I presume  there  can  be  but  one.  We  found 
our  undertaking,  not  on  the  secret,  but  on  the  revealed  will  of 
God — to  make  his  Son  the  head  of  the  heathen.  We  justify  it, 
not  by  the  fallible  deductions  of  reason,  but  by  the  explicit  com- 
mand of  Christ,  Go,  fireach  the  Gosp.el  to  every  creature.  We 
are  encouraged  to  prosecute  it,  by  the  example  of  the  Universal 
Church,  which  in  no  century  of  the  Christian  era,  and  under 
no  discouragements,  hath  ever  been  prevailed  on  to  relinquish 
the  claims  of  her  Lord,  or  wholly  to  desist  from  propagating 
his  saving  faith.  Gratitude  impels,  humanity  implores,  justice 
commands,  honor  invites,  and  conscience  approves  the  war. 
Whatsoever  things  are  lovely  and  of  good  report;  if  there  be  any 
virtue,  and  ij  there  be  any  praise,  they  all  conspire  to  warm  our 
hearts,  and  to  strengthen  our  hands. 

A cause  so  sacred,  so  truly  Christian,  taken  up  on  principles 
of  faith  and  reason,  may  well  be  expected  to  meet  with  general 
appioba’ion  and  support.  That  it  does  meet  with  them  is  more 
than  I dare  affirm;  much  less,  that  that  approbation  is  cordial 
and  affectionate,  and  that  support  zealous  and  liberal,  com- 
mensurate to  the  magnitude  of  its  object,  and  the  discourage- 
ments which  it  has  to  encounter.  Alas!  my  Brethren,  tfe  spirit 
of  missions  has,  as  yet,  but  half  warmed  the  bosom  of  the 
Church.  That  zeal,  which  prompts  to  personal  exertions  and 
sacrifices,  is  not  the  characteristic  of  the  day,  nor  of  the  Mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  England.  Long  peace,  and  disuse  of  mis- 
sionary arms,  have  chilled  our  blood.  The  trumpet  sounds,  and 
principle  and  shame  compel  us  to  the  field.  But  our  orders  are 
loose  and  broken;  our  minds  timid  and  irresolute.  We  talk  of 
insurmountable  obstacles — of  privations  intolerable,— -and  of 
sacrifices,  which  it  is  not  justifiable  for  even  religion  to  make: 
while  pretenders  to  tenderness  of  conscience  affect  to  tremble 
to  think  of  the  evils,  which  harmless  Gentoos  are  to  suffer  from 
our  intolerance;  and  profound  politicians  can  discover  in  this 


8 


pacific  assembly,  the  seeds  of  future  wars,  and  of  a revolution 
which  is  to  subvert  the  British  Empire  in  the  East.  But  is  this 
the  fearless  enterprise  of  British  Seamen,  British  Soldiers,  Brit* 
ish  Merchants?  Is  this  the  unequivocal  language  of  the  votaries 
of  avarice,  of  ambition,  or  of  fame?  Was  it  in  this  calculating 
spirit,  that  three  obscure  individuals  sealed  tbe  fate  of  Peru,  on 
the  blessed  body  and  blood  of  Christ?  Had  Arcot  been  defend- 
ed, or  the  field  of  Plassey  fought  in  this  temper,  where  now 
were  our  Indian  Empire?  And  is  it  in  fear  and  irresolution, 
that  Bonaparte  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  earth,  like  an  angel 
commissioned  to  destroy? 

Well  might  our  Blessed  Master  observe,  that  the  children  of 
this  ’ivorld  arc  nviser  in  their  generation  than  the  children  of  light. 
With  equal  truth  it  may  be  said,  that  they  have  generally  more 
zeal,  more  fortitude,  more  patience,  and  more  perseverance.  To 
exonerate  ourselves  from  censure,  we  may  lay  what  colors  we 
please  on  the  subject:  at  the  same  time,  nothing  but  the  anti- 
christian  principles  of  sloth,  fear,  love  of  the  world,  and  a dis- 
trust of  the  power  and  grace  of  Christ,  could  make  us  exagger- 
ate, beyond  all  proportions  of  truth,  discouragements,  which 
are  in  themselves,  indeed,  as  formidable  as  the  world,  the  flesh, 
and  the  devil  can  render  them;  discouragements,  however, 
which  we  can  overcome,  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  us. 

Doth  unbelief  ask.  Who  is  sufficient  for  these  things?  The 
God  whom  we  serve,  the  Creator,  Upholder,  and  Governor  of 
all  worlds,  in  whose  hands  are  all  hearts,  and  whose  pleasure  is 
served  by  every  varying  event — He  is  all-sufficient.  His 
wisdom  and  power,  his  faithfulness  and  truth,  will  not  be  neu- 
tral witnesses  of  our  patience  of  hope,  and  labor  of  love.  The 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  and  his  inexhaustible  grace,  are 
ALL-suFFieiENT,  to  supply  all  our  necessities.  He  will  go  forth 
with  our  hosts,  marshal  their  orders,  inflame  their  courage,  him- 
self lead  the  war,  and  scatter  the  alien  armies.  And,  in  the 
hands  of  the  Divine  Spirit,  the  evidence  of  the  gospel  is  all- 
sufficient,  to  convince  the  most  skeptical;  the  motives  of  the 
gospel  all-sufficient,  to  subdue  the  most  obdurate;  and  the 
sanctions  of  the  gospel  all-sufficient,  to  triumph  over  the 
most  worldly,  sensual,  and  ferocious.  Our  all-sufficiency 


9 


is  of  God:  toe  can  do  all  things  through  Christ,  tohich  strength^ 
tneth  us. 

Away,  then,  with  the  wretched  cant  of  false  humility— -“We 
can  do  nothing.”  What,  then!  Is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  shortened, 
that  he  cannot  save? — That  he  cannot  do,  in  us,  and  by  us, 
whatever  he  commandsMesus  of  Nazareth  did  conquer  the 
world,  by  men  of  like  passions  with  ourselves;  and  he  hath 
pledged  himself,  that  he  will  conquer  it  again— conquer  it  more 
generally,  more  permanently,  and  more  gloriously;  and  it  may 
be,  by  instruments  more  contemptible  than  the  blessed  fisher- 
men of  Galilee,  and  by  means  less  splendid  than  the  miraculous 
gif^g  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Then,  the  Church  came  down  all  glo- 
rious from  heaven:  now,  she  will  be  wonderfully  raised  up 
from  the  bosom  of  the  earth. 

Let  then  the  heathen  rage,  and  the  feople  imagine  a vain  thing. 
Let  the  kings  of  the  earth  set  themselves,  and  the  rulers  take 
counsel  together,  against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  Anointed, 
saying.  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast  away  their 
cords  from  us.  He,  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens,  shall  laugh;  the 
Lord  shall  have  themin  derision.  Then  shall  he  speak  unto  them 
in  his  wrath,  and  vex  them  in  his  sore  displeasure.  Yet  have  I 
set  my  king  upon  my  holy  hill  of  Zion.  I will  declare  the  decree: 
The  Lord  hath  said  unto  me.  Thou  art  my  Son:  this  day  have  I 
begotten  thee.  Ask  of  me,  and  I shall  give  thee  the  heathen  for 
thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  for  thy 
possession.  Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a rod  of  iron:  thou  shall 
dash  them  in  pieces,  like  a potter's  vessel.  Be  wise  now,  there^ 
fore,  O ye  kings:  be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth.  Serve  the 
Lord  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling.  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he 
be  angry,  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his  wrath  is  kindled 
but  a little.  Blessed  are  all  they,  that  put  their  trust  in  himl 
Fear  we  the  success  of  this  victorious  kingdom?  Or  can  we  be 
ashamed  of  this  King  of  Kings? 

St.  Paul  combined  with  profound  humility  the  most  confident, 
faith:  In  his  flesh  there  dwelled  no  good  thing;  but,  being  strong 
in  the  spirit,  he  could  do  all  things,  through  Christ  which 
strengthened  him.  Say  not,  “Are  we  Apostles?”— We  are 


10 


CHRISTIANS;  Wc  aic  MINISTERS.  As  sucli,  we  have  the  same 
faith,  the  same  Spirit,  the  same  Father,  and  the  same  Lord, 
with  the  apostle.  What  was  he,  which  Christ  did  not  make 
him?  What  did  he  do,  which  Christ  did  not  work  in  him  and 
by  him?  Let  us,  then,  follow  him,  as  he  followed  Christ,  and 
be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  power  of  his  might.  We  are 
not  apostles,  and,  therefore,  need  not  their  credentials:  our  war- 
fare, though  similar,  is  not  exactly  the  same:  so  far  as  we  arc 
called  to  tread  in  their  steps,  we  may  confidently  rely  on  the 
same  all-sufficient  Lord.  He  will  not  send  us  on  his  warfare, 
at  our  own  charges:  nor  can  wc  say  what  may  be  done,  until 
we  make  a fair  trial.  Men,  who  fill  the  earth  with  their  fame, 
might  have  lived  and  died  unknown,  had  not  Providence^  set 
before  them  a bold  career,  and  heaven  or  hell  supplied  them 
with  motives  to  enter  on  it.  What  a theatre  for  truly  grand 
achievements  is  now  set  before  us,  and  who  shall  dare  to  say, 
that,  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  us,  we  cannot  act  our 
part  with  propriety,  if  not  with  success?  Under  God,  man  is 
much  the  creature  of  occasion,  association,  and  circumstance. 
Great  pursuits  form  great  men;  and,  in  this  cause,  there  is  eve- 
ry thing  that  can  elevate  the  genius,  and  ameliorate  the  heart. 
j'ls  our  day  is,  so  shall  our  strength  be.  If  we  dare  believe  Christ’s 
promises  in  Europe,  we  shall  see  the  lighting  down  of  his  arm, 
in  the  ends  of  the  world. 

We  dare  not  intrude  into  the  province  of  the  Head  of  the 
Church.  He  will  select  his  own  instruments,  qualify  them  for 
their  work,  and  prosper  their  labors,  how,  and  when,  and  in 
what  measure  he  pleases.  Nor  will  that  Faithful  Witness  fail  to 
make  good  every  tittle  of  his  engagements.  The  duty  of  this 
Association  is  neither  to  be  ashamed  of  Missions,  nor  to  despair 
of  their  success,  nor  to  be  fastidiously  delicate  in  the  exertion  of 
its  influence  to  promote  them.  Shame  is  disaffection;  despair, 
disloyalty;  and  to  be  too  nice,  in  the  use  of  fair  and  honest 
means,  a dereliction  of  the  cross  of  Christ, — that  standard, 
around  which  we  should  rally  and  unite  all  our  efforts.  To  col- 
lect information  by  correspondence  at  home  and  abroad — .to  es- 
tablish funds — to  deliberate  on  every  measure,  which  prudence 
can  suggest — and  above  all,  to  diffuse  the  spirit  of  missions  in 
every  possible  direction — comprises,  perhaps,  all  we  can  do. 


11 


This  should  be  done  with  simplicity,  humility,  feav,  trust,  pu; 
tience,  and  perseverance:  and,  while  we  thus  act,  be  this  our 
motto,  IVe  can  do  all  things,  through  Christ  luhich  strengtheneth 
us. 


The  most  immediate  and  most  distressing  of  all  our  discour- 
agements, is,  the  want  of  Missionaries.  I was  before  bold  to 
advance  strong  censure  on  this  point;  and  I dare  not  retract  it; 
but  it  is  a justice  which  I owe  to  my  honored  brethren  of  the 
gospel  ministry,  before  I press  the  censure  further,  to  observe, 
with  respect  to  Missions,  how  differently  they  are  circumstanced 
from  the  laity.  The  part  allotted  to  the  laity  lies  in  a small  com- 
pass: it  is  easy,  and  revolts  none  of  the  grand  principles  of  hu- 
man nature.  Would  each  contribute  his  wealth,  his  prayers, 
his  counsels,  and  his  influence,  according  to  the  ability  which 
God  giveth.  Missions  would  be  nobly  patronized;  and  yet,  no 
individual  would  feel  their  pressure.  Should  the  laity  shrink 
from  their  duty,  wholly  or  in  part,  their  number  and  station  in 
the  church  secure  them,  in  some  degree,  from  observation  and 
reproach.  Should  their  most  zealous  endeavors  be  frustrated, 
they  have  no  personal  suffering,  shame,  or  responsibility.  Indif- 
ferent spectators  of  those,  who  were  jeopardising  their  lives,  they 
could  not  be.  They  would  feel  a generous  interest,  an  affection- 
ate sympathy,  in  the  weal  or  wo  of  the  soldiers  of  the  cross;  but, 
after  all,  they  would  be  spectators  only,  and  not  combatants  in 
the  war. 

Far  different  is  the  part  of  the  clergy.  They’  are  called  to  ad- 
vance with  the  standard  in  the  van,  and  to  sustain  the  whole 
shock  of  battle.  Every  Christian  principle  is  brought  to  the  se- 
verest test.  Every  affection  of  the  heart  must  be  laid  on  the 
cross.  If  they  will  do  their  duty,  the  son,  the  husband,  the  fa- 
ther, the  friend,  the  man,  perhaps,  even  the  minister  must  be 
sacrificed.  The  Missionary  can  borrow  no  aid  from  avarice, 
ambition,  or  fame;  principles,  which  w ork  miracles  in  the  world. 
It  is  not  a temporary’,  but  an  everlasting  adieu,  which  he  must 
bid  to  his  native  soil,  and  all  the  fond  charities  which  it  contains: 
it  is  not  a few  protracted  campaigns  of  danger,  toil,  or  privation, 
which  he  is  to  endure;  it  is  not  even  the  glorious  death  of  a 
martyr,  (though  this  may  be  his  lot)  which  only  he  is  to  encoun- 


It 


ter.  To  every  principle  of  flesh  and  blood,  he  must  die  daily. 
Ilis  life  is  one  martyrdom;  and,  with  St.  Paul,  he  must  bear 
about,  in  /lis  body,  the  dying'  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Every  active 
and  passive  virtue,  the  Hero  and  the  Saint,  must  be  called  into 
habitual  exercise.  Universal  temperance  and  self-denial;  fer- 
vent zeal,  tempered  with  the  meekness  of  heavenly  wisdom; 
restless  activity,  which  thinks  nothing  done,  w hile  any  thing 
remains  undone;  supported  by  invincible  fortitude,  and  perfect- 
ed by  patient  industry;  and  perseveranoe  full  of  joyful  hope; 
these  graces  combine  to  form  the  grand  outline  of  the  Christian 
Missionary.  His  labors  end  only  with  his  life;  and  that  may 
terminate,  he  knows  not  Avhere  nor  how',  by  land  or  sea,  in 
the  midst  of  a ferocious  multitude,  or  alone,  unsheltered,  and 
without  a friend  to  close  his  eyes. 

And  is  this  race  of  glory  to  be  run  hastily,  even  by  the  best 
of  men?  Is  it  modest,  is  it  humble,  to  be  candidates  for  mis- 
sionary arms,  “sharp,  massive,  and  refulgent,”  which  claim  the 
spirit  and  strength  of  an  apostle  to  wield  them?  Ah!  my  friends, 
little  do  you  know  the  fears  and  solicitudes,  with  which,  under 
every  possible  advantage,  we  conduct  the  sacred  ministry  at 
home.  Thousands  of  light  men  have,  indeed,  thrust  themselves 
into  the  ministry;  but  no  one  who  knows  w'hat  the  cure  oe 
SOULS  is,  w'ill  undertake  it,  or  continue  in  it  when  undertaken, 
unless  a necessity  be  laid  upon  him,  and  he  feels,  Wo  be  unto 
me, if  I preach  not  the  gospell  Can  you,  then,  wonder  if  the  clergy 
be  circumspect  and  deliberate;  and  if  before  they  become  Mis- 
sionaries, they  require  every  evidence  of  which  it  is  susceptible 
that  they  have  a mission  from  above,  and  some  humble  qual- 
ification to  fulfil  it?  Shall  they  stake  their  all,  in  heaven  and 
earth,  and  commit  the  honor  of  the  church,  before  they  be 
fully  persuaded  in  their  orjn  minds? 

Here,  I fear,  some  wall  think  I have  forgotten  my  text,  and 
the  cause  which  I am  to  plead;  and  that  I have  painted  the  qual- 
ifications and  labors  of  the  Missionary,  in  colors  by  no  means 
alluring;  and  will  ask.  What  motives  can  induce  a sober  man 
to  engage  in  such  a warfare,  or  what  principles  support  him  un- 
der it?  And  what  motives  influenced  thy  incarnation,  O Son 
of  God;  influenced  thee  to  be  a servant,  yea,  a worn  and  na 


13 


man,  a man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  griefs?  What  priii* 
ciples  sustained  thee,  O Jesus  of  Nazareth,  in  the  garden  of 
Gethsemane,  and  on  the  accursed  tree,  when  thott  didst  tread 
the  wine/iress  alone,  and  of  the  people  there  was  none  with  thee? 
Those  motives,  those  principles,  shall  influence  and  sustain 
thee,  thou  Missionary  man  of  God.  The  love  of  Christ,  which 
passeth  knowledge,  shall  constrain  thee.  The  cross,  the  sacred 
cross,  thy  tree  of  life,  thy  hope,  thy  rejoicing,  thy  glory,  shall 
kindle  up  in  thy  soul  all  the  mind  of  Christ,  and  sustain  thee 
with  all  the  power  of  God.  Thou  canst  do,  canst  suffer,  canst 
conquer- all  things,  through  Christ  which  strengtheneth  thee. 
Thy  losses,  thy  crosses,  thy  sorrows,  thy  wife,  thy  children,  thy- 
self, thy  all  are  Christ’s  and  Christ  is  God’s.  Ifin  thee,  the  mea- 
sure of  his  sufferings  be  filled  up,  in  him  shall  thy  joys  be  full; 
and  he  shall  anoint  thee  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  thy  fellows. 
He  shall  feed  thee  with  hidden  manna,  which  the  world  knoweth 
not;  and,  in  thy  heart,  will  he  make  rivers  of  living  water  to 
spring  up  and  overflow.  If  thou  suffer  with  him,  thou  shaltalso 
reign  with  him.  His  heaven  shall  be  thy  heaven,  and  his  God 
thy  God.  And  who  shall  separate  thee  from  the  love  of  Christ? 
Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  naked- 
ness, or  peril,  or  sword?  .Yay,  in  all  these  things,  we  are 
more  than  conquerors,  through  him  who  loved  us.  For  lam  per- 
suaded, that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities, 
nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height, 
nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  7is 
from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Beloved  Brethren,  if  we  look  only  on  the  outside  of  the 
Christian  Missionary,  we  shall  see  no  form  nor  comeliness  in 
him.  His  life  may  seem  madness  and  his  death  without  honor.. 
But,  if  we  look  nearer  into  tire  inner  man  of  the  heart,  w'e  shall 
see  this  outcast  of  men  filled  with  c//  consola^ 

tion,  and  rejoicing  with  joiy  unspieakable,  and  full  of  glory.  Be 
his  losses  never  so  great,  he  accounts  them  as  nothing:  be  his 
sufferings  never  so  heavy,  he  rejoices  in  tribulation:  he  hugs  his 
chain;  sings  midnight  hymns  of  praise  to  Christ,  in  the  dungeon 
and  in  the  stocks;  and,  rvith  the  calmest  reason,  reckons  that 
his  present  light  afflictions,  which  are  but  for  a moment,  are  not 


u 


worthy  to  be  comfjared  with  that  far,  more  exceeding,  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory  which  shall  be  revealed. 

And  are  there  in  this  place  any,  I would  hope  there  are 
none!  who  are  disposed  to  turn  with  contempt  from  the  Mis- 
sionaries of  the  Cross?  men,  who  hazard  their  lives  for  the 
sake  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  whose  names  are  written  in  his  book  of 
life,  and  who  shall  hereafter  rank  among  his  martyrs  and  con- 
fessors! They  sink  not  under  your  contempt,  nor  value  any 
thing  which  you  may  possess!  They  feel  that  ample  fortunes, 
splendid  establishments,  personal  or  hereditary  honors,  garters 
and  mitres,  without  the  love  of  Christ,  are  nothing,  worse  than 
nothing;  straws,  which  float  on  the  stream;  vain  decorations, 
•which  cover  the  cheerless  mansions  of  the  dead!  But  are  there 
here  any  such  as  I have  supposed?  Let  them  take  home  with 
them  one  word  of  St.  Paul,  which  I pray  God  that  they  may 
ponder  in  their  hearts.  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema  Maranatha! 

To  you,  my  Christian  Brethren,  I return;  and  to  your  hearts 
I appeal,  whether  I have  not  done  some  humble  justice  to  the 
Missionary  character,  and  exhibited  its  luminous,  as  well  as 
its  dark  side?  Can,  then,  your  time,  your  money,  your  influence 
in  society,  be  better  employed,  than  in  discovering  such  charac- 
ters, cherishing  their  pious  ardor,  and  forwarding  them  to  the 
stations  whither  their  high  destinies  call  them?  Whatever  cold- 
ness I impute  to  the  clergy,  as  well  as  to  the  laity,  yet  such 
characters  there  certainly  are  among  them,  and  possibly  more 
than  we  suppose.  Then  patiently  persevere  in  well  doing,  and 
you  shall  discover  them,  and  bring  them  to  the  places,  where 
they  ought  to  stand.  For  it  cannot  be,  that,  in  the  nineteenth 
Century,  and  in  the  first  of  the  reformed  Churches;  while 
God’s  judgments  are  abroad  in  the  earth,  while  illustrious  pro- 
phecies are  accomplishing;  while  the  Church  is  raising  her  lan- 
guid head,  and  while  the  pious  Laity  are  calling  loudly  for  Mis- 
sionaries; it  cannot  be,  that  the  clergy  alone  should  remain 
cold  and  supine.  Not  so  the  Great  Shepherd  slumbered!  Not 
so  did  he  charge  the  Apostolic  Shepherds,  feed  my  shee/i, 
feed  my  lambs.  Not  so  did  the  noble  Paul  watch  over  his  Phi- 
lippians,  on  the  service  of  whose  faith  he  was  willing  to  be  offer- 


ed  up.  Not  so  our  Cranmers,  Ridleys,  Latimers,  and  Hoopers 
quenched  the  violence  of  fire. 

What  avail,  my  Reverend  Brethren,  the  doctrinal  purity  of 
our  articles,  the  Christian  spirit  of  our  Liturgy  and  Services, 
and  the  apostolic  gravity  of  our  Homilies,  unless  they  be  em- 
bodied in  the  Clergy,  and  endued  with  life  and  action?  How- 
ever excellent,  they  are  not  a living  church.  We  must  sup- 
port them,  and  not  they  us.  They  cannot,  of  themselves,  endure 
the  fiery  ordeal  of  our  times.  From  the  external  enemies  of  our 
Church,  we  have  nothing  to  fear:  for  nuho^  or  lokat  shall  harm 
us,  if  lue  be  folloiuers  of  that  n.ehich  is  good?  But  it  is  from  our- 
selves, that  we  ha.ve  every  thing  to  apprehend.  A Laodicean 
temper  and  secular  life,  personal  neglect  of  the  great  salvation, 
and  negligence  in  the  discharge  of  our  ministerial  office,  these 
are  the  mystic  fingers  of  that  invincible  hand  which  writes  in 
legible  characters.  Ye  are  weighed  in  the  balances,  and  are  found 
wanting.  In  respect  of  Missions,  and  of  every  thing  else  in 
tvhich  we  fail,  let  us  then  rouse;  and  redeem  our  Church  from 
ruin,  and  ourselves  from  shame.  Let  us  prove  to  the  world,  that 
the  cause  of  Christ  is  dear  to  us;  and  that  we  have  nobler  mo- 
tives of  preference  to  our  Church,  than  those  of  ease,  honor, 
and  emolument. 

By  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ,  I beseech  you, 
Brethren,  forgive  this  my  boldness  toward  you;  and  do  me  the 
justice  to  believe,  that  I hope  better  things  of  you,  though  I 
thus  speak.  You  will  arise,  and  nobly  redeem  your  own  honor, 
and  that  of  our  venerable  Church;  and,  in  this  confidence,  the 
meanest  of  her  sons  addresses  to  you  the  word  of  exhortation. 
The  eyes  of  England  are  fixed  upon  you.  To  you,  Asia  and 
Africa  stretch  forth  their  hands.  From  you,  they  demand  their 
portion  of  the  inheritance  under  the  New  Testament,  of  which 
you  are  the  Trustees  and  administrators.  To  you  the  Church 
looks  for  the  confirmation  of  her  best  hopes,  and  the  prophecies 
for  their  most  glorious  accomplishment.  Your  Baptismal  Vow 
binds  you  to  take  a part  with  the  zealous  Laity;  and  your  ordi- 
nation to  the  Sacred  Office  is  your  glorious  prerogative  to  be 
leaders  ot  the  war.  How  beautiful  are  their  feet  on  the  moun^ 


16 


t<dns^  nuho  fniblinh  i^lad  tidings  of  fie  ace:  who  say  unto  Zion^  Be^ 
hold  thy  God! 

Do  you  still  hesitate?  Go  to  Mount  Tcibor,  and  contemplate 
the  glory  of  your  Immanuel,  as  of  the  07ily  begotten  of  the  Fa- 
ther, full  of  grace  and  truth.  Behold,  in  Gethsemane,  the  Son 
of  Man,  prostrate  on  the  earth;  inexpressible  anguish  forcing 
from  his  person  a preternatural  and  bloody  sweat;  thrice  depre- 
cating the  cup  of  sorrow,  and  the^,meekly  drinking  it  to  the 
dregs!  Place  yourself  beneath  his  Cross-.  Mark  the  sorrows  of 
the  Friend  and  Mother  of  your  Lord.  Hear  the  savage  shouts 
of  the  infuriate  populace;  and  the  brutal  insults  of  the  priests 
and  rulers.  Behold  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world:  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  its  sins.  Look  into  his 
heart,  and  read  there  love  unutterable:  Glory  to  God  in  the  high- 
est: peace  a:id  good  will  to  man.  Listen  to  his  dying  pardons, 
blessings,  and  prayers.  Drink  in  his  last  breath.  It  is  finished! 
while  earth  trembles,  heaven  mourns,  rocks  rend,  the  sun  re- 
fuses to  shine,  and  nature  groans.  Say;  is  this  thy  Master,  thy 
Savior,  thy  God?  Do  thy  eternal  hopes  hang  with  him  on  the 
cross?  And  dost  thou  expect  to  see  him  again  in  glory,  and 
that  he  will  say  unto  thee.  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  ser- 
vant, e:iter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord?  And  will  not  such 
matchless  love  constrain  us  to  forsake  all,  to  take  up  our  cross, 
and  to  follow  him?  Will  it  not  constrain  us  to  say,  “Lord,  we 
are  thine  by  every  sacred  tie.  Appoint  to  us  our  work,  and  the 
bounds  of  our  habitation.  All  countries  and  climates  are  alike: 
life  and  death  are  equal:  only  let  i(s  live  and  die  for  thee?” 

Such  meditations  as  these,  my  Brethren,  frequent  and  brought 
home  to  the  heart,  familiarized  and  wrought  by  the  Holy  Spirit 
into  the  temper  of  our  minds,  would  spread  the  Spirit  of  Mis- 
sions far  and  wide,  among  the'  Clergy  and  Laity.  Our  very 
women  would  catch  the  sacred  fire,  and  glory  in  the  warfare  of 
the  cross.  Christian  Matrons!  from  whose  endeared  and  en- 
cleai’ing  lips,  we  first  heard  of  the  wondrous  Babe  of  Bethlehem, 
and  wei'e  taught  to  bend  our  knee  to  Jesus — ye,  who  first  taught 
these  eagles  how  to  soar’,  will  ye  now  check  their  flight  in  the 
midst  of  heaven?  “I  am  weary,”  said  the  ambitious  Cornelia, 
“of  being  called  Scipio’s  Daughter.  Do  something,  my  sons,  to 


17 


style  me  the  Mother  of  the  Gracchi.”  And  what  more  laudabld 
ambition  can  inspire  you,  than  a desire  to  be  the  Mothers  of  the 
Missionaries,  Confessors,  and  Martyrs  of  Jesus?  Generations 
unborn  shall  call  you  blessed.  The  Churches  of  Asia  and  Africa, 
when  they  make  grateful  mention  of  their  founders,  will  say, 
Blessed  be  the  wombs  which  bare  them^  and  the  breasts  which 
they  have  sucked!  Ye  Wives  also  of  the  Clergy,  let  it  not  be 
said,  that,  while  ye  love  the  milder  virtues  of  the  Man,  ye  are 
incapable  of  alliance  with  the  grandeur  of  the  Minister.  The 
Wives  of  Christian  Soldiers  should  learn  to  rejoice  at  tl.e 
sound  of  the  battle.  Rouse  then  the  slumbering  courage  of  your 
soldiers  to  the  field;  and  think  no  place  so  safe,  so  honored,  as 
the  camp  of  Jesus.  Tell  the  missionary  story  to  your  little  ones, 
until  their  young  hearts  burn,  and,  in  the  spirit  of  those  inno" 
cents  who  shouted  Hosanna  to  their  lowly  King,  they  cry,  “shall 
not  we  also  be  the  Missionaries  ot  Jesus  Christ?” 

And  what,  I beseech  you,  Brethren,  is  the  Spirit  of  Missions, 
but  the  Spirit  of  Christianity  operating  in  its  divinest  energies, 
and  closely  treading  in  thd"  steps  o^  our  Lord  and  of  his  Apos- 
tles? Be  it  then  the  peculiar  concern  of  this  Association  to 
fan  and  spread  this  hallowed  flame.  From  the  pulpit  and  from 
the  press,  again  and  again,  let  the  subject  be  brought  before  the 
Church  and  her  Ministers,  under  eveiy  possible  form.  Call 
forth  our  ablest  pens  andw  aimest  hearts.  Be  the  temperaments 
of  men  hot  or  cold;  whether  their  heads  or  hearts  must  be  as- 
sailed; only  let  them  be  Christian  and  they  will  be  won  to  our 
cause.  For  what  honest  mind  can  withstand  the  consolidated 
force  of  scripture  and  reason,  with  which  it  may  be  urged?  or 
what  feeling  heart  resist  the  bursts  of  sacred  elocution  which  it 
inspires?  We  need  only  to  be  brought  into  contact  with  it,  and 
we  must  catch  its  spirit.  Nothing  Christian  can  sustain  so 
strong  and  bright  a flame. 

What  should  affright  us  from  this  war?  It  is  not  the  voice  of 
the  martial  Godfrey,  which  calls  us  to  slaughter;  but  that  of  the 
Good  Shepherd,  who  invites  us  to  attend  his  steps,  while  he 
folds  his  sheep  among  the  Gentiles;  when  we  shall  all  be  one 
fold,  under  one  Shepherd.  It  is  not  for  the  land  of  malediction, 
stained  with  his  innocent  blood,  and  the  sepulchre  in  which  ho 
.S 


18 


leposed  for  a night,  that  we  contend;  but  for  his  spiritual,  saving, 
and  universal  reign.  We  carry  not  war,  but  peace  in  our  arms. 
No  trumpet  shall  sound,  but  that  of  the  jubilee;  no  sword  be 
drawn,  but  that  of  the  Spirit;  no  blood  shed,  but  that  of  joy- 
ful martyrs.  And  if,  in  defiance  of  religion,  reason,  and  policy, 
the  rude  eloquence  of  Peter  of  Amiens  armed  the  nations  of  the 
West,  and  precipitated  Europe  on  the  head  of  Asia,  shall  we 
despair  of  a Crusade  to  save  and  bless  mankind,  and  which  is 
sanctioned  by  every  principle  of  undefiled  religion, 
SOBER  REASON,  AND  SOUND  POLICY?  Then,  great  Emperors 
and  Kings,  illustrious  Princes,  mitred  Prelates,  and  all  Orders 
of  Men,  took  the  Cross;  and  why  should  they  refuse  it  now? 
Superstition  has  had  its  day,  and  a dreadful  one  it  was.  The 
day  of  Atheism,  miscalled  the  Age  of  Reason,  has  succeeded, 
and  bleeding  nations  display  its  trophies.  It  is  time  for  the  day 
of  Religion  to  take  place;  and  for  the  wearied  creature  to  rest, 
in  the  peaceful  and  pacific  kingdom  of  the  Son  of  God. 

E.rom  the  Reformation,  the  Bishops  of  Rome  have  exerted 
all  their  influence  in  Missions;  and  what  they  did  effect,  evinces 
what  may  be  done  by  a purer  religion.  The  faithful,  catho- 
lic, and  CHRISTIAN  kings  of  Portugal,  Spain,  and  France 
have  endeavored  to  merit  those  titles,  by  their  powerful  pa- 
tronage of  Missions.  All  orders  of  the  Roman  Priesthood  have 
vied  with  one  another  in  missionary  zeal.  They  have  submitted 
to  every  privation  ai>d  hardship:  they  have  shunned  no  danger; 
and  have  been  nobly  prodigal  of  life.  The  Princes  of  Denmark 
have  thought  themselves  honored,  in  extending  his  kingdom, 
by  ivhoTti  kings  reign.  Even  the  Commercial  States  of  Holland, 
and  other  Protestant  Powers,  have  done  honor  to  our  Holy 
Religion.  But,  in  England,  so  far  as  Missions  are  concerned, 
till  of  late,  we  have  hardly  assumed  the  aspect  of  a Christian 
Country:  we  have  neither  treated  religion  as  a thing  divine, 
nor  deigned  to  use  it  as  an  instrument  of  state.  Yet,  to  the  in- 
fluence of  religion  is  Europe  indebted  for  her  superiority  over 
the  other  continents.  Religion  saved  her  in  the  fall  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  and  vanquished  all  the  northern  conquerors.  In  the 
middle  ages,  Christian  Kings  trembled  before  the  pagan  Dane, 
Nonnan,  Saxon,  and  Hungarian.  By  cession  of  territory,  by 
the  marriage  of  their  daughters,  and  even  by  the  sword,  they 


19 


propagated  the  religion  of  Jesus,  as  an  instrument  of  state;  as 
the  ONLY  BOND,  which  could  bind  those  faithless  barbarians.  To 
whatever  censures  their  conduct  is  open,  they  knew  at  least, 
the  value  of  religion,  as  connected  with  the  temporal  welfare  of 
mankind,  and  did  not  treat  it  with  the  superlative  contempt 
which  we  have  done.  The  influence  of  religion  withdrawn, 
every  malevolent  demon  hath  ravaged  the  continent.  At  this 
hour,  religion,  protestant  religion,  is  the  bulwark,  shield, 
sword,  and  glory  of  Britain;  and  if  Providence  has  placed  under 
her  dominion  the  provinces  of  the  distant  East,  it  is  hard  to  say 
for  what  purpose,  worthy  of  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth,  it  is  done, 
unless  it  be,  that  we  may  impart  to  them  the  blessed  religion  of 
Jesus.  They,  and  the  poor  slaves  in  the  West  Indies,  are  now 
our  fellow-subjects  as  well  as  our  fellow-creatures;  and,  if  we 
continue  to  despise  them  as  brute  beasts  who  have  no  souls  to 
be  saved,  and  persist  to  intercept  the  blood-bought  bounties  of 
our  God,  they  will  have  a great  and  terrible  avenger,  who  will 
respect  no  dignities  in  the  Church  or  State,  and  who  will  call 

the  MOST  SERIOUS  CLERGY  TO  THE  MOST  SERIOUS  ACCOUNT; 
for  WE  know  our  Master's  will,  and  we  aftM'O've  it,  and  yet  wr 
do  it  not. 

I repeat,  we  have  not  assumed  the  aspect  of  a Christian 
country.  Of  all  our  English  kings,  not  one  has  stood  forth  as 
the  leader  and  patron  of  any  national  attempt  to  propagate 
through  the  heathen  world  that  faith,  of  which  they  all  claim, 
and  not  without  justice,  to  be  the  defenders.  I state  the  fact, 
but  my  censure  falls  rather  on  those  who  should  suggest  this 
duty  to  the  throne,  than  on  the  throne  itself:  for  I w ill  not  be» 
lieve,  until  it  be  proved,  that  there  has  lived,  or  lives,  a Prince 
of  the  House  of  Brunswick,  in  particular,  who  would  withhold 
his  princely  aid  from  the  kingdom  of  his  God.* 

Neither  are  our  hopes  less  firmly  founded  on  the  British  Sen- 
ate. The  care  of  religion,  they  deem  not  beneath  the  dignity 

•The  first  Sovereign,  indeed,  of  this  illustrious  family  who  sal  on  our 
throne,  patronized  the  first  Protestant  Mission  in  India,  and  encouraged 
the  Missionaries  by  his  letters:  (See  Buchanan’s  Christian  Pesearches 
in  Asia,  8vo.  pp.  118 — 123;  published  at  Boston  (.Mass.)  by  S.  T.  Arm- 
strong) ^but  my  remark  applies  to  a national  attempt;  such  as 
might  be  justly  expected  from  an  en-lightened  Christian  countrv. 


20 


of  their  legislative  wisdom.  The  residence  of  the  clergy,  the 
fimeliorarion  of  their  humble  stipends,  the  support  even  of  a 
Roman  College,  the  difierent  claims  of  English  Dissenters  and 
Jrish  Catholics,  have  all,  in  their  turns,  come  before  them,  and 
have  been  discussed  with  calmness  and  dignity.  By  that  august 
assembly,  the  chain  of  Africa  has  been  broken,  and  their  coun- 
try exonerated  from  a load  of  blood.  And  if  these  comparatively 
minor  points  have  been  respected,  surely  they  will  lend  a 
patient  ea.  to  our  common  Christianity,  the  dearest  interests  of 
mankind,  the  ardent  prayers  and  joyful  hopes  of  the  Univer- 
sal church;  the  dear-bought  purchase  of  our  Redeemer’s 
blood;  the  cause  for  which  the  wisdom,  goodness,  and  power 
of  the  Eternal  Majesty  at  first  created,  and  still  supports  the 
universe. 

The  throne,  the  senate,  is  not  dead,  but  sleefieth.  The  voice, 
that  is  to  wake  their  Christian  virtue,  must  proceed  from  the 
altar.  And  whither  should  we  Iook,  but  to  you,  ye  venerable 
men,  whom  the  pleasure  of  your  Sovereign,  and  the  Providence 
of  Heaven,  have  exalted  to  be  “Fathers  in  God,”  and  the  great 
luminaries  oi  the  church  of  England?  Ye  are  our  greatest-— 
be  ye  our  best.  To  you  it  is  given,  to  approach  the  throne  of 
^lajesty;  and,  without  ofi'ence,  to  admonish  kings.  To  you  it  is 
given  to  raise  your  voices  among  the  Princes  of  Britain,  and  to 
plead  for  your  Savior  and  your  God.  Raise  then  your  pastoral 
voices,  and  all  the  clergy  shall  hear.  Lead,  and  your  obedient 
sons  will  follow;  command,  and  they  will  obey.  To  your 
wisdom  and  piety  we  commend  the  most  momentous  cause, 
ever  brought  before  a British  king  and  Parliament:  and  may 
He,  whose  ambassadors  ye  are,  bow  before  you  the  hearts  of 
the  sovereign  and  of  the  senate  and  make  them  all  to  arise  to 
build  the  House  of  their  God! 

I am  not  ignorant,  that  a century  ago,  the  respectable  “So- 
ciety for  promoting  Christian  Knowledge,”  were  the  first  to  as- 
sert the  Missionary  cause;  that  under  their  auspices  and  at 
their  expense,  was  published  the  first  Oriental  Version  of  the 
Scriptures;  that  the  Lutheran  Ministers  employed  in  their  Mis- 
sions have  been  pious,  wise,  and  indefatigable;  that  Schwartz 
has  left  behind  him  an  apostolic  name;  that  the  eflects  of  these 


21 


Missions  have  been  equal,  perhaps  superior,  to  -what  has  been 
done  by  ail  the  rest  of  Europe,  in  that  period  of  time;  and  that 
they  still  continue  their  labors  in  India.  All  this  they  have 
done  under  great  disadvantages  and  with  slender  funds;  when 
their  countrymen,  in  general,  viewed  the  subject  with  lifeless 
apathy,  and,  for  this,  they  merit  the  gratitude  of  the  Church. 
But  though  it  should  be  granted,  that  they  have  done  all  which 
existing  circumstances  would  permit,  yet  all  will  not  invali- 
date my  censures.  Nothing  has  been  done  by  authority,  nothing 
worthy  of  England,  nothing  adequate  to  the  object,  nothing 
by  the  English  clergy!  What  has  been  done  for  a century, 
proves  the  absolute  necessity  of  calling  all  our  forces  into  the 
field,  and  rousing  the  Avhole  church,  clergy  and  laity,  to  strain 
every  nerve  of  exertion.  Inveterate  prejudices  yield  only  to 
time.  Missions,  at  first  treated  as  wild  and  romantic,  begin  now 
to  be  considered  feasible,  as  well  as  laudable;  and,  in  a few 
years,  I trust  they  will  be  thought  the  necessary  result  of  sober 
Christianity;  and  that  they  who  refuse  to  concur  in  them,  have 
virtually  denied  the  faiths  and  are  worse  than  infidels... 

The  trumpet  of  the  Millennial  jubilee  is,  at  last,  heard  among 
the  thousands  of  Israel,  and  will  soon  fill  all  the  tents  of  Jacob. 
Serious  Christians  of  all  denominations  are  espousing  the  cause 
of  missions,  and  anxious  to  prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord.  Among 
others,  this  association  of  attached  members  of  the  church  of 
England  is  not  ashamed  to  claim  an  interest  in  the  Son  of 
David.  But,  sorry  am  I to  say,  that  the  clergy,  and  the  clergy 
alone  decline  the  Cross.  We  claim  the  palm;  oh,  why  will  we 
not  deserve  it?  In  the  midst  of  judgment  and  mercy,  while  war 
shakes  our  coasts,  shall  we  recline  indolently  under  our  vine 
and  fig-tree;  and  bid  our  Lord  extend  his  kingdom,  how  and 
by  whom  he  will?  In  comparison  of  this,  defeat  itself  were  vic- 
tory. The  church,  Avhile  lamenting  their  defeat,  would  mag- 
nanimously console  her  vanquished  missionaries;  and  would 
renew  the  war  with  redoubled  zeal  and  better  hopes.  But,  when 
not  ONE  clergyman  will  arm  in  the  cause  of  his  Redeemer, 
what  is  to  be  said?  The  fact  is,  I believe,  unparalleled  in  the 
annals  of  the  church.  That  it  is  a fact,  I appeal  to  this  associ- 
ation, and  ask,  “Have  you,  my  honored  brethren,  in  Africa, 
or  in  the  East,  one  English  clergyman,  vvho  serves  ab  a mis- 


2S 


sioKARY?”  From  such  a spirit,  little  is  to  be  hoped;  and  if,  as 
I said  before,  I confidently  expect  the  clergy  will  redeem  their 
honor,  it  is  not  the  language  of  eulogy  that  is  to  rouse  them. 
The  cause  of  Missions  must  be  pleaded  with  a boldness,  which 
knows  no  fear  nor  compromise;  and  in  this  spirit  only,  we  can 
do  all  things  through  Christ  which  atrengtheneth  us. 

Still,  this  Society  is  undiscouraged;  and  despairs  neither  of 
missions,  nor  of  the  co-operation  of  the  clergy.  They  patiently 
wait  the  salvation  of  God;  and  in  the  meanwhile,  avail  them- 
selves of  such  instruments  as  he  supplies,  A small  number  of 
pious  foreigners,  Lutheran  clergy,  are  now  engaged  in  their 
missions.  But,  highly  as  we  are  obliged  to  them,  highly  as 
we  respect  them,  and  most  cordially  as  we  accept  their  godly- 
services,  my  duty  this  day  obliges  to  say,  that  the  flower  of  the 
Lutheran  clergy  cannot  promote  our  cause  like  those  of  our 
own  establishment.  Their  persons,  characters,  and  connexions 
are  necessarily  unknown;  and  cannot  excite  that  lively  interest 
and  emulation,  with  which  we  should  view  the  labors  of  our 
own  clergy.  Independently  of  the  disgraceful  confession,  that 
we  have  not  piety  to  conduct  our  own  missions,  should  they  be 
permitted  once  to  flow  in  a foreign  channel,  we  damp  the  spirit 
of  missions,  and  destroy  the  vital  sap  that  should  feed  them: 
for  the  clergy  will  feel  themselves  discharged  from  the  war; 
and,  instead  of  our  spirit  and  resources  increasing  with  success 
and  the  demand  for  greater  exertions,  we  shall  soon  relapse  into 
our  former  apathy.  Not  only  our  honor,  but  our  zeal  and  suc- 
cess, depend  on  our  employing  our  own  countrymen,  as  much 
AS  WB  CAN.  The  God  of  Truth  will  not  impute  to  the  English 
clergy,  the  services  of  pious  foreigners.  Our  own  work  can  be 
best  done  by  our  own  hands. 

The  *\nnual  Sermons  and  Reports  of  this  Society  are  loud 
calls  on  the  Clergy.  Every  thing  passes  before  our  eyes,  which 
can  provoke  us  to  jealousy.  We  hear,  we  see:  yet  the  greater 
part  cares  not  for  these  things;  and  they  who  do,  content  with 
affording  pecuniary  aid,  w’ithhold  unanimously  their  personal 
service.  Have  Carey  and  his  Baptists  had  more  forgiven  than 
we,  that  they  should  love  more?  Have  the  fervent  Methodists  and 
patient  Moravians  been  extortionate  publicans,  that  they  should 


23 


expend  their  all,  in  a cause  which  we  decline?  Have  our  Inde* 
pendent  and  Lutheran  Brethren  persecuted  the  Church,  that 
they  should  be  now  so  much  more  zealous,  in  propagating  the 
faith  they  once  destroyed?  Would  a British  army,  fed,  clothed, 
honored,  and  rewarded  by  their  sovereign,  stand  inactive,  and 
see  brave  allies  bleeding  in  their  battles,  and  the  fate  of  their 
country  suspended  on  a foreign  sword?  The  Great  Dictator 
once  brought  to  reason  a refractory  legion  by  a word;  “Citi- 
zens! depart.”  And  fear  we  not  the  anger  of  our  Immortal  Sove- 
reign, who  now  smiteth  tlirough  kings,  subverteth  thrones, 
altars,  and  kingdoms,  breaketh  the  arm  of  the  mighty, 
maketh  foolish  the  wisdom  of  counsellors,  trampleth  on  the 
necks  of  prelates,  and  sendeth  to  us  the  Galilean  Clergy,  to 
tell  us,  that  it  is  a fearful  thing  to  fall  into  hands  of  the  Living 
God? 

An  opinion  seems  to  prevail,  that  our  meanest  Ministers  are 
fittest  for  Missionaries,  and  that  our  best  and  greatest  are  supe- 
rior to  the  office.  This  opinion,  I conceive,  is  arrogant  and  con- 
temptuous; as  pregnant  with  mischiefs,  as  unfounded  in  truth. 
Surely  we  can  better  spare  one  or  two  great  men,  than  millions 
of  wretched  Heathens  can  dispense  with  their  services.  An  able 
General  is  worth  half  his  army;  an  apostolic  Bishop  half  his 
Clergy.  On  great  men  the  Almighty  suspends,  sometimes,  the 
fate  of  Churches  and  nations;  and  this  is  a crisis  in  our  affairs, 
which  seems  to  call  for  the  services  of  no  common  characters. 
The  meanest  of  our  Missionaries  should  be  greatly  good,  to 
embark  in  a godlike  work,  on  godlike  motives.  Great  activity, 
industry,  patience,  fortitude,  and  perseverance  are  qualifications 
ESSENTIAL  to  the  Missionary.  Without  these,  he  never  can 
succeed.  Zeal,  disinterestedness,  talents,  elocution,  will  not  avail 
without  their  firm  support.  How  few,  even  of  good  men,  com- 
bine a large  proportion  of  these  solid  qualities!  Blunt  must  be 
that  tool,  which  receives  not  an  edge  from  incessant  sharpen- 
ing; barren  the  soil,  which  derives  not  fertility  from  patient 
cultivation.  Men,  thus  diligent  in  the  noblest  business,  cannot 
be  mean  men;  nor  shall  they  stand  before  mean  men,  but  before 
the  princes  of  God’s  people.  Usefulness,  peace,  and  honor  will 
attend  all  their  steps.  They  are  the  men  whom  we  want.  They 
have  the  qualifications  of  Missionaries,  though  they  should 


not  have  one  splendid  trait  in  their  characters.  But  to  these 
veteran  qualities  which  maintain  the  tug  of  battle,  if  we  can 
accumulate  on  our  Missionary  every  endowment  of  nature  and 
every  improvement  of  education,  nothing  will  be  superfluous. 
We  will  despise  no  man:  wc  will  flatter  no  man.  It  was  to  ho 
inferior,  nor  even  ruling  Angel,  iliat  God  committed  the  work 
of  our  salvation.  It  was  delegated  to  his  own  dear  Son,  and  it 
pleased  the  Father^  not  to  spare,  but  to  bruise  him;  to  subject  him 
to  every  suffering  and  indignity,  that  none  might  claim  ex- 
emption, from  the  peasant  to  the  prince.  In  his  hand  the  weak- 
est instrument  shall  be  strong,  and  the  noblest  derive  dignitv 
from  his  meanest  service.  The  master  builders  of  the  Sanctu- 
ary must  be  no  common  artists.  Bezaleel  and  Aholiab,in  whose 
hearts  is  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  in  understanding,  and  in 
knowledge;  to  know  how  to  work  all  manner  of  work  for  the 
Sanctuary,  must  build  it.  When  on  earth,  the  generous  St. 
Paul  could  not  brook  to  build  on  another  man’’ s foundation;  or  to 
boast  of  things  made  ready  to  his  hand  in  another's  line  of  ser- 
vice. Could  he  be  permitted  to  aid  tne  labors  of  the  Church 
from  heaven,  what  could  we  offer  him  but  this  deserted  stand- 
ard, and  request  him  to  lead  us  to  Delhi,  to  Ispahan,  and  Mecca? 

Pre-eminent  as  the  Episcopal  Order  is  now,  the  Apostles  and 
Evangelists  claimed  the  glorious  work  of  Missions,  as  their 
own.  It  was  the  post  of  danger,  suffering,  and  labor;  and, 
therefore,  the  post  of  honor.  So  it  is  now.  Mean  is  the  man, 
who  thinks  it  mean.  The  office  has  sunk  in  estimation,  because 
we  are  too  little  to  assert  its  dignity;  but  when  that  day  shall 
come — and  come  it  will — when  God  shall  again  pour  out  his 
Spirit  from  on  high,  then  we  shall  learn  war,  and  know  how  to 
use  missionary  arms.  The  sword  is  nothing,  without  the  hand 
that  wields  it.  The  glorious  Gospel  itself  maybe  made  a mere 
neutral  thing.  We  have  the  sword  of  St.  Paul,  the  sword  of 
God,  into  whose  ethereal  temper  the  Holy  Ghost  has  wrought 
all  the  truth  and  wisdom,  all  the  grace  and  power  of  God.  On 
its  double  edge  are  life  and  death.  All  the  idols  of  the  East  and 
South  are  destined  to  fall  before  its  insufiferablc  brightness.  But 
where  is  the  hand  to  ^rasp  it?  Burning  Seraphiui  would  glory 
to  use.  this  immortal  weapon:  but  it  may  not  be.  It  is  the  gift  of 
Christ  to  the  Church;  and  it  is  to  be  used  only  by  conscious  im- 


25 


becility  through  faith  in  the  Lord  of  the  Sword,  that  all  the  ex- 
cellency of  the  weapon  and  of  the  faith  that  uses  it,  may  be  as- 
cribed to  God  alone. 

Ye  Leaders  of  the  Armies  of  the  living  God,  dare  ye,  through 
Christ  which  strengtheneth  you.,  receive  this  sword,  and  war 
with  it  against  those  fallen  angels,  who  have  usurped  dominion 
in  Africa  and  in  the  East,  and  opposed  their  bloody  altars  and 
filthy  mysteries  to  the  God  whom  ye  serve?  We  offer  you  the 
first  honors  of  the  Church: — your  Master’s  cup^  his  baptismy 
the  fellowship,  of  his  sufferings:  a conformity  to  his  life,  who 
had  not  wher€  to  lay  his  head;  and  a conformity  to  his  death, 
who  expired  on  a cross.  What  more  can  you  covet,  than  to  fight 
conspicuous  on  the  sharpest  edge  of  war,  under  the  immediate 
eye  of  the  Captain  of  your  Salvation,  and  sheltered  under  his 
arm,  until  you  die  at  his  feet,  and,  it  may  be,  have  your  pale 
brows  graced  with  a martyr’s  crown?  Is  not  this  the  consum- 
mation of  all  Christian  ambition? — enough  to  satiate  the  infinite 
thirst  of  glory,  which  Christ  excites  in  the  Soldiers  of  the  Cross? 
In  comparison  of  this,  how  poor  is  it,  to  fall,  like  Nelson,  in  the 
arms  of  Victory — covered  with  stars,  and  laurels,  and  honora- 
ble wounds;  and  to  be  embalmed  with  a nation’s  tears! 

Hear  the  gracious  declarations  of  your  Lord:  Verily  Isay 
unto  you,  that  ye,  who  hane followed  mein  the  regeneration,  when 
the  Son  of  man  shall  sit  on  the  throne  of  his  glory,  shall  also  sit 
on  twelve  thrones  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.  And  every 
one  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father, 
or  mother,  or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands  for  my  sake,  shall  receive 
a hundred  fold,  and  shall  inherit  eternal  life.  And  whosoever 
shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my 
brother,  and  sister,  and  mother.  Brother! — Sister! — IVIother! — 
what  words  of  grace  are  these!  If  felt  aright  the  Church  would 
never  want  missionaries  or  martyrs. 

It  may  be  thought  that  I am  soliciting  the  migration  of  the 
Clergy.  Far  from  it.  One  in  a hundred  might  supply  cur  wants 
a hundred  years  hence.  Would  God  we  had  twenty!  would 
God  we  had  ten,  worthy  of  the  fame  of  the  Church  of  England! 
whose  wisdom  might  direct,  whose  courage  might  animate, 


26 


and  whose  influence  might  serve  as  a centre  of  union  to  the 
pious  youth  from  our  colleges,  who  would  soon  resort  to  our 
standard,  when  conducted  by  such  leaders.  A College  in  the 
East  for  Religion  and  the  Oriental  Languages,  under  their  aus- 
pices, might  one  day  rival  the  famed  Alexandrian  School;  and 
produce  even  native  students  to  vie  with  its  most  renowned 
worthies. 

For,  next  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  Missionaries  is  that  of 
giving  effect  to  their  labors,  by  affording  every  facility,  for  the 
acquisition  of  the  native  tongues.  To  relinquish  our  connexions 
at  home  requires  a painful  effort;  but,  when  that  effort  is  made, 
the  ties  which  hold  us  shall  yield  to  it,  as  threads  consumed  by 
fire.  At  personal  hardship  and  iijconvenience,  the  Christian  will 
smile.  The  care  and  provision  of  our  wives  and  orphans  touch 
the  tenderest  chords  of  nature:  the  hero  feels  as  a man,  and  the 
saint  is  not  ashamed  to  be  so:  but  the  pang,  though  sharp,  is 
transient:  these  loved  pledges  we  bequeath  to  the  Church,  and 
Jesus  will  place  them  under  the  care  of  some  Beloved  Disciple. 
Glorious  martyrdom  is  thrown  so  far  into  the  back  ground  of 
the  Missionary  Picture,  that  it  is  hardly  to  be  seen;  and,  if  seen 
at  all,  it  will,  I trust,  be  viewed  as  the  crown  of  honorable  love 
and  approved  service.  But,  for  adults  again  to  go  to  school;  for 
ministers  to  lay  aside  their  Bibles  for  grammars;  to  devote  their 
prime  of  life,  which  they  would  think  best  improved  in  the  de- 
lightful labors  of  the  pulpit,  to  the  painful  acquirement  of  lan- 
guages; and  perhaps,  to  fall  victims  to  disease,  before  they  have 
well  entered  on  their  Missions — these  are,  indeed,  discouraging 
considerations.  So  much  so,  that  some  good  men  despair  of  any 
success  worthy  of  our  efforts,  unless  the  Gift  of  Tongues  were 
revived  in  the  Church.  To  this  objection  our  reply  is  simple 
and  obvious- — Ihe  king's  business  requireth  hasle.^  We  have 
no  alternative  but  to  obey,  and  to  leave  the  issue  w ith  God.  Ju- 
dah and  Israel  shall  be  gathered.  The  fulness  of  the  Gentiles 
shall  be  brought  in.  All  this  shall  be  done.  The  zeal  of  the  Lord 
of  Hosts  shall  pel  form  this.  But,  whether  this  be  effected,  by  or- 
dinary or  extraordinary  means,  is  of  no  importance.  Miracles 
are  great  things  to  little  man;  nothing  to  the  glorious  God.  To 
him  they  cannot  be  necessary;  and  therefore  not  to  us.  For  nve 
can  do  all  things,  through  C/irist  which  strengtheneth  us.  Never- 


27 


theless,  that  assistance,  which  we  cannot  command  from  the  ex> 
truordinaiy  gifts  of  the  Spirit,  we  ought  the  more  solicitously  to 
implore  from  the  succors  of  his  grace.  If  we  cannot  speak 
with  tongues,  we  ought,  at  least,  carefully  to  provide  every 
means  to  facilitate  the  study  of  languages;  and  should  avail  our- 
selves, in  its  utmost  extent,  of  the  advantages  of  the  press. 

To  produce  those  strenuous  exertions,  necessary  to  the  end 
which  we  would  obtain,  we  must  he  raised  and  fired,  by  near 
views  of  the  glory  of  the  latter  day.  To  faith,  as  to  the  God 
whom  she  serves,  a thousand  years  are  as  one  day.  Neverthe- 
less, let  us  not  indulge  illusive  hopes  of  immediate  and  splendid 
success.  As  yet  we  are  only  exploring  the  perils  of  the  desert, 
and  not  entering  on  the  Land  of  Promise.  We  may  expect  a 
night,  long,  dark,  and  perhaps  tempestuous;  and  should  be  pre- 
pared to  toil  patiently  at  the  oar,  in  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a 
bright  morning,  when  our  Master  shall  come  to  us  w^alking  on 
the  w’aters,  and  our  weather-beaten  bark  shall  rest  in  a secure 
haven . 

One  word  more,  my  brethren.  Let  nothing  which  I have 
said  be  construed  as  tending  to  insinuate  that  all  ministers 
who  decline  a personal  engagement  in  missions,  are  therefore 
indifferent  to  their  success.  God  forbid.  Very  few  of  us  can 
be  called  to  that  service.  .Some  of  us  certainly  are;  and,  as  it  is 
impossible  to  say,  who  are  the  disobedient  prophets,  who  resist 
the  Holy  Ghost,  censures,  particular  in  their  application,  must 
be  conveyed  in  general  terms.  But  certain  I am,  that  many 
hoary  veterans  would  gladly  renew  their  youth,  to  reap  the  har- 
vest of  so  rich  a field.  Many  young  soldiers  are  ardent  to  engage; 
but  modesty  and  inexperience  withhold  them.  Not  for  them- 
selves, but  for  the  ark  of  God,  they  fear:  and,  w’hen  their  Pen- 
tecost shall  fully  come,  they  will  go  forth  as  Christ’s  joyful  wit- 
nesses. Above  all,  let  none,  whose  zeal  shall  engage  them  first 
to  take  the  cross,  fondly  imagine,  that  they  only  dare  to  meet 
the  alien  Foe.  They  may  be  assured  that  they  will  leave  behind 
them  many  more  pious  than  themselves;  and  whose  faithful 
prayers,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  will  be  the  surest  pledges  of 
their  own  success.  If  a righteous  indignation,  to  see  the  armies 
of  the  Living  God  defiled  by  the  proud  and  sanguinary  demons 


28 


of  the  Gentiles,  embolden  them  to  advance  to  the  perilous  en- 
counter, let  it  be  in  the  modest  spirit  of  David,  who  trusted  not 
in  his  sling  and  stone,  but  in  that  God  whose  soldier  he  was.  In 
this  spirit,  they  may  well  disregard^the  malice  of  envious  bre- 
thren, who  say,  TVe  knoiv  your  /iride,  and  the  naughtiness  of 
your  hearts.  For  is  there  not  an  imperious  cause,  w’hy  striplings 
should  seek  to  fight,  when  neither  brave  Jonathan  draws  the 
sword,  nor  warlike  Abner  lifts  the  spear? 

Go  forth,  then,  ye  soldiers  of  the  Cross;  and  may  the  God 
whom  ye  serve  go  forth  with  you,  and  teach  your  hands  to  war 
and  your  fngers  to  fight!  Rejoice  in  your  high  and  holy  calling; 
and,  in  the  grateful  and  humble  triumph  of  your  souls,  say, 
Unto  us,  who  are  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  in  this  grace 
given,  that  we  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles,  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ. 

Now  unto  the  King  eternal,  immortal,  invisible,  the  only  wise 
God,  be  praise,  power,  and  dominion  in  the  Church,  throughout 
all  ages.  Amen! 


SAMUEL  T.  ARMSTRONG, 


% 


has  now  in  Press 


A second  edition  of  Buchanan*s  Christian  Kesearches  in  Asia, 
printing  on  common  paper,  tvhich  will  be  sold  at  75  cents;  to 
those  who  will  take  6 copips  2 will  be  given  gratis;  12  copies 
4 gratis,  and  in  the  same  proportion  for  any  larger  number. 
A large  assortment  of  valuable  Theological  Books  for  sale  at 
the  same  place. 


